Blunt to meet with Hagel this week

1/20/13 10:06 AM EST

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sunday he would be meeting this week with President Barack Obama's choice for secretary of defense, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Blunt said he didn’t see any huge shift in support for Hagel after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would support the nomination.

“Chuck Hagel has got some questions to answer. One of those questions is going to be ‘why is that positions you’ve held in the past about Iranian sanctions, about support for Israel, no longer appear to be your positions,” Blunt said on "Fox News Sunday."

He said he “looked forward” to questioning Hagel during the Senate confirmation hearings.

“He’s going to have a lot to say about our national defense for a long time as the secretary of defense...if he becomes the secretary of defense,” Blunt said.